20. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints finish the 2025 NFL Season a respectable 6-11 after fielding a bottom-5 roster this year. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough played quite well down the stretch and is honestly emerging as a good, younger quarterback who the Saints can build with in 2026 and beyond.
Kellen Moore was also in his first year on the job and honestly did quite well. Overall, with how weak the NFC South is, the New Orleans Saints could be in a position to compete for the title in 2026, and if you told me Shough became the best QB in the division in 2026, I would not be surprised.
It’s not every year we have a six-win team that ends up being satisfied with the season as a whole, but I do believe this is the case for the Saints. GM Mickey Loomis needs to add a bit more talent on the offensive side of the ball, but the foundation on defense has been set and is definitely a unit that can take another leap in 2026.
19. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18 and got a win that really only hurts their 2026 NFL Draft position. The Commanders had a season to forget and could make some coaching changes in the offseason.
Dan Quinn seems to be safe, but some key assistants are probably not. Washington went into the 2025 NFL Season with an aging, below-average roster that struggled to stay healthy this year. Much of their lack of success is simply due to players going down, so getting key players back in 2026 is going to do wonders for their chances to bounce back.
The Commanders have a ton of roster issues overall, though, as they need to find more young talent, and it’s really not as easy as it might seem. I would expect to be a better year, but it’s going to be a massive uphill battle for this team.